Cologne Cathedral is a Roman Catholic cathedral located in Cologne, Germany. Construction began in the 13th century and took over 600 years to complete, making it one of the longest construction projects in history. The cathedral was built to house the relics of the Three Magi and incorporates Gothic architectural elements. Though damaged in World War II, the cathedral survived intact and reconstruction was completed in 1956. At over 157 meters tall, it remains the tallest church in Germany and an iconic example of Gothic architecture.

1. Cologne Cathedral
SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE, BUILDING & DESIGN
Foundation in Natural and Built Environment (FNBE)
Effective Public Communication [COM 30103]
Oral Presentation (Part I)
Topic 2(a): Religious buildings around the world
Name : Yong Ai Yi 0321977
Session : Tuesday 4pm
Intake: March 2015
Lecturer: Persis Rodrigues

2. Cologne Cathedral
Roman Catholic cathedral in Cologne, Germany

3. Historical Background

4. Historical Background
 Construction of the present Gothic church began in the 13th
century. It takes more than 600 years to complete. The new
structure was built to house the relics of the Three Magi.
 The foundation stone of Cologne Cathedral was laid on
August 15, 1248, by Archbishop Konrad von Hochstaden.
After this initial rapid progress, construction work gradually
came to a standstill.
 Cologne Cathedral stands on the site of a 4th century
Roman temple, followed by a square church known as the
"oldest cathedral”. A second church built on the site, the
"Old Cathedral," was completed in 818. This burned down
on April 30, 1248.

5.  Construction resumed in 1824 and there was addition of the
towers and other substantial parts of the cathedral,
Cologne Cathedral, 1853c
 The completion of
Germany's largest
cathedral was celebrated
as a national event in
1880, 632 years after
construction had began.
The celebration was
attended by Emperor
Wilhelm I.
Emperor Wilhelm I.

6.  The cathedral was hit by 14 aerial bombs in World War II
aerial bombs but did not collapse. Reconstruction was
completed in 1956. In the northwest tower's base, it was
repaired by bad-quality brickstones taken from a nearby war
ruin remained visible until the late 1990s as a reminder of
the War, but the cathedral was reconstruct the section
according to the original appearance.
 In 1996, the cathedral was added to the UNESCO World
Heritage List of culturally important sites and in 2004, it was
placed on the "World Heritage in Danger" list.
An American soldier and a
destroyed Panther tank in front
of the cathedral on 4 April 1945.

7. Architects

8. Architects
Barbara Schock-
Werner
Master Gerhard
Ernst
Friedrich
Zwirner
Richard
Voigtel
Arnold
Wolff
Willy
Weyres
Nikolaus
van Bueren
Friedrich
Adolf
Ahlert
master builder at
Cologne
Cathedral with
overall
responsibility for
conservation and
restoration
work.

9. Structure

10. A "Bird's eye view" shows the cruciform plan
E X T E R I O R

13. I N T E R I O R

15. Ornamentation Used

19. Layout

20. Layout

21. Type of Materials Used

22. Type of materials used
 Trachyte
 Basalt Sandstone
 shell-limestone

23. Other Relevant Information

24. Other Relevant Information
 The cathedral still holds the honor of being the tallest building of Gothic architecture found
anywhere in the entire world.
 It is said that the cathedral contains the bones and clothes of the Three Wise Man (the three
kings from the East, who visited Jesus Christ following his birth).
 During the World War II the cathedral was hit by fourteen bombs, but the cathedral was not
destroyed, every one believed that it was a miracle from God.

25. Reference :
1.http://www.visual-arts-cork.com/stained-glass-materials-methods.htm
2. http://www.adventured.co/21085/cologne-cathedral-floor-plan/cologne-cathedral-
floor-plan-and-520155b02de3dd19ec55e8e678c059d9
3. http://www.koelner-dom.de/index.php?id=geschichte&L=1
4. http://www.colognecathedral.net/History-of-Cologne-Cathedral.html
5. http://www.koelner-dom.de/index.php?id=19261&L=1
6. http://www.nanomatch-project.eu/517.html
7. http://www.nanomatch-project.eu/517.html

26. The End
Thank You